


Table For Two

by bethanyann97



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Cute, Cute Date, Cute Kids, Dean and Cas have kids, Fluff and Smut, Human Castiel, Kid Fic, M/M, Past Cassie/Dean, Past Castiel/Meg Masters, Past Character Death, Romance, Sadness, Smut, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-16
Updated: 2014-08-16
Packaged: 2018-02-13 10:41:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2147682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bethanyann97/pseuds/bethanyann97
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean is moving back to Lawrence for a fresh start, to be with his family and to find some peace after a rough few months. Finding peace is a little hard when you've got an eight year old daughter kicking at you from the back seat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Table For Two

Dean Winchester is moving back to Lawrence, Kansas for a fresh start.

After everything he needs time to heal and a place to clear his head. Now, that’s a little hard with an eight year old daughter sat in the back seat asking if they're there yet. 

"Not yet sweetheart, we’ve got another hour to go," he says through gritted teeth. He's told her how long they've got left on the drive ever since they left their old town, and Dean is just about done with it. He loves her to pieces but right now, he’s just not in the mood. 

Olivia huffs loudly and swings her legs against the back of the passenger seat chair, her heels catching the leather upholstery, making Dean wince. 

"Honey, do you wanna listen to some music?" he asks, hopefully distracting her from causing any serious damage to his baby. 

"Yeah!" she exclaims excitedly, "Put Black Dog on please!" That's another thing he loves about his daughter, she picked up his awesome taste in music. 

The rest of the drive is silent, save for Dean and Olivia's top notch singing. 

They finally reach their new house. Olivia looks up at the house in awe, wide-eyed and curious as to what this new place has in store. Dean just stares at it for a moment, picking out all the imperfections before sighing. It’s nothing compared to the home they once had. 

 

××××××××××××

 

"Papa, look!" 

Eight year old Grace bounces excitedly on her tiptoes as she looks out of the living room window, watching as the new neighbors exit their car and walk together into the house. 

Castiel peers out from the kitchen, dish and towel in hand, looking pointedly at Grace. 

"Grace, come on, don't be nosy," he says, guiding his daughter away from the window. He catches a quick glimpse of the new neighbors, only seeing a flash of ash blonde hair before they disappear into their new house. 

"But—“

"But nothing Grace. We'll go introduce ourselves later when they've settled a little. Right now, you've got to wash up before dinner." 

Grace sighs an 'okay' as she walks into the kitchen, pushing the small stool into place so she can reach the sink easily. Castiel chuckles at her a little, her face scrunching up in that cute way it did whenever she gets confused. 

"What?" she questions, her head tilting a little, a trait she picked up from her father. 

"Nothing," Castiel says fondly, brushing his fingers through her dark hair. 

He's reminded vaguely of Grace's mother as he sits with her to eat. There's such a likeness there, that Castiel has trouble seeing how he was even partly responsible for this little girl. His mood saddens as he continues to watch her, memories flooding back and haunting his mind. It's quickly changed however, when Grace looks up and smiles at him sweetly. The beginnings of her first adult tooth shows through at the front of her gums, which causes Castiel's smile to widen. She's growing up so fast.

××××××××××××

Dean’s head snaps up when he hears a knock at the door. He was emptying a box of kitchen utensils when it happened and nearly dropped a plate on the floor. He huffs, laughing at himself, as he braces himself against the kitchen counter. 

Another knock at the door causes him to move, collecting himself as he shuffles to the door. He peaks through the peep hole, his eyes furrowing in confusion. When he looks through, a man and little girl stand on the other side. The little girl is grinning and bouncing on her toes, while the man has his back to Dean, evidently looking over the area. He doesn't recognize the folks on the other side of the door, but he's curious to know why they're here. 

Olivia runs down the stairs, snapping his eyes from snooping at the people on the opposite side of the door, bringing his attention to her. 

"Daddy, who is it?" 

"I don't know, baby." 

"Well, open the door then," she says, pulling on his jeans leg. 

"Okay, okay bossy boots," Dean says affectionately. 

He opens the door, a 'Hello' on his lips, but it gets caught in his throat when the man turns around at the sound of the door. 

It's silent for a moment as the pair stare at each other. They’re both brought out of it by their daughters simultaneously pulling on their pant legs. Dean shakes his head, coughing awkwardly. The man sticks out a hand as he says, "Hi, I'm Castiel, we live next door." 

"Well, I'm Dean, I live... here..." Dean replies awkwardly. 

Castiel chuckles, "I can see that." 

Dean feels another tug at his pant leg, "Oh, and this is my daughter, Olivia." 

A chorus of 'Hi's erupt from Castiel, Olivia and the little girl. 

"Well, this is my daughter Grace," Castiel says, resting his hand on her shoulder. Grace smiles wide and a cheery 'Hello' escapes her gappy mouth. 

"We just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood,” Castiel says with a smile that makes Deans insides flip. 

"Thank you," Dean replies, "I would invite in for a drink but," he gestures to the pile of boxes strewn across the floor of their living room. 

"No, that's fine, we'll let you get back to it," Castiel says, looking down at the vacant spot where his daughter once stood. He turns, just about to call his daughter's name when he spots Grace and Olivia playing a game of hop scotch in their front yard. 

"Huh," Dean says, smiling. "They've hit it off then," he says with a chuckle. Castiel hums in reply with a smile. 

They watch their kids playing together for a few silent minutes before Dean breaks it. "I should really be getting back to packing," he says, rubbing his neck. 

"Oh, of course," Castiel says, "Just let us know if you need anything." 

With a smile, he takes his leave, calling for his daughter to say goodbye to Olivia. This is met with a loud 'aw' from both girls. 

"Come on, we have to let them get settled," he said holding a hand out for Grace to take. She takes it reluctantly but smiles and waves when Olivia returns to her own father. 

Dean shuts the door behind them with a sigh. 

"I like them Daddy," Olivia exclaims excitedly. 

Dean smiles softly, "Me too Liv, me too." 

××××××××××××

It takes another few days for Dean and Olivia to get settled. Dean finally places the last ornament on the mantelpiece and looks around the living room. He rubs his forehead, squeezing at his eyes before sighing, walking into the kitchen to get dinner started. 

Olivia is sat at the kitchen table, her feet swinging as they don't fully reached the floor. Crayons and pieces of paper, crumpled and coloured, are scattered across the tabletop. She has her head down, completely focused on the current drawing she’s working on. Her tongue is poking out in concentration and Dean chuckles at the sight. 

“What’ya drawing there, Liv?” Dean asks.

She pulls her head up from her work for a moment, sighing tiredly. “I’m not done yet Daddy,” she says exasperatedly as she returns her attention to the drawing again. Dean throws his hands up in surrender, 

“Alright, alright, just show me when you’re done.”

The phone starts to ring just as he finishes filling a pan with water for pasta. Dean grins at the caller ID.

“Hey mom.”

“Dean Henry Winchester,” Dean winces at the use of his full name, “I have been expecting a call from you for three days.”

Crap. He was supposed to let his mom know when he had arrived, “Sorry mom, just with moving in and unpacking and everything, I just forgot.”

“You just forgot…” he hears her breathe through her teeth on the other end, “Well, next time, don’t. You had me worried sick.”

“Sorry,” Dean says again.

“It’s okay honey,” Dean can hear her smile, thankfully he’s forgiven.

“How’s Liv?” she asks tentatively. 

Dean smiles sadly as he looks over to his daughter, “She’s okay, she gets a little quiet sometimes, but she’s holding up.”

“Good, what about you?”

Dean really doesn’t want to get into it but he knows he can’t avoid the question when his mother is the one that asks it. 

“Okay, I guess, I just… It’s not like it was,” he sighs, his eyes growing cloudy.

“I know,” his mom says from the other end, “I know what it’s like honey. When your father passed, I didn’t know what to do. You know what I was like; I hardly spoke, let alone did all the things you’ve been doing. You seem to be coping a hell of a lot better than I did.”

“Yeah,” Dean breathes, remembering all the worried phone calls from Sammy about how their mom wouldn't speak for hours on end.

“How’s Sam?” Dean asks, hoping to change the subject. 

Thankfully, his mother allows it, “He’s great, you’ll see him and Jess at dinner Sunday.”

Dean’s mood lightens at that. Sunday dinner at their house used to be his favourite day of the week. His mom made the best roast potatoes and the most delicious pies for desert. 

Also, the prospect of seeing Sam and Jess gets him excited too. 

“You’re making pie right?” Dean asks hopefully.

“Of course Dean, what else would I make?” Mary answers, laughing. 

Dean laughs with her. He’s glad his mom called, it makes him a hell of a lot happier. He doesn’t know what he would do without her.

“Well I better let you get back then,” she sighs.

“Okay, mom, I’ll see you Sunday. Liv say bye to grandma,” Dean says pointing the receiver to Olivia.

“Bye Grandma!” she shouts.

When Dean pulls the phone back to his ear he hears his mom chuckling at the other end, making Dean smile wider.

“Bye mom.”

“Bye Dean,” she says through her laughter.

He puts the sauce for the pasta on heat and looks through his emails as he waits for the pasta to cook. 

“I’m done!” Olivia shouts.

Dean looks up from his phone to see his daughter waving her picture in his face.

“Alright, let me take a look,” he says softly, taking the paper from her grasp. 

As he looks at the picture, his eyes cloud again. 

“Look, see there’s me, you and mommy,” she says quietly, pointing to each character in turn.

The drawing versions of Dean and Olivia are holding hands in front of what Dean guesses is their new house. In the clouds above the house, Olivia’s mom, Cassie, sits depicted as an angel. A tear streams down Dean’s cheek.

“Don’t cry Daddy,” Olivia says sweetly, kissing her father’s tear stained cheek.

Dean sniffs and kisses her forehead, so glad that his little girl is such a sweetheart. “Come on sweetie, we’ll put this on the fridge.”

He picks up a magnet that he and Cassie got on their weekend to New York. A watery smile appears on his face as he remembers the trip. 

He places the paper down against the fridge, putting the magnet on top to hold it in place. 

“There you go,” Dean says shakily, giving Olivia another kiss before returning to the pasta.

××××××××××××

Castiel knew there was a reason he didn’t have his sister over that often. 

They had had a lovely chat over lunch, gossiping about work related things (on Anna’s side, since being a teacher meant Castiel had the whole summer to himself… and Grace of course), talking about their family and listening to Grace talk non-stop about her new friend next door.

Then what does Anna do? She drops the ‘relationship’ bomb.

“Have you found anyone yet Cassie?” She says this without meeting his eyes as she sips from her coffee cup.

Castiel sighs loudly, “No Anna I have—“

“Dean!”

Castiel and Anna both turn to Grace, who was sat watching Frozen in the living room but has now decided to crash their conversation.

“I—wha… what?” Castiel says unintelligibly.

“Who’s Dean?” Anna says playfully, setting her coffee down. She places her elbows on the table and rests her chin on her hands, batting her eyelashes teasingly.

“He, uh, moved in next door about a week ago… Grace, why did you say Dean?” Castiel really wants to know how his daughter has spotted his attraction for his neighbour.

“Because you keep making goo-goo eyes at him,” she answers absentmindedly, standing on her stool to reach above the fridge for cookies.

“Ah, ah, those are for after dinner, missy,” Castiel chastises. Grace answers him with a pout and trudges back into the living room, as if that little exchange never happened. 

“So... Dean?” Anna teases.

“There’s nothing to say Anna,” Castiel says rubbing his forehead, “He moved in a few days ago, we went to go welcome him to the neightbourhood—“

“Welcome him to the neighborhood eh?” Anna says, winking slyly at him.

“I just told him to let me know if he needs anything,” Castiel says pointedly, trying to reiterate how innocent the exchange was.

“Mmhm,” Anna answers, wiggling her eyebrows. 

Castiel groans, “You’re so hard to talk to sometimes.”

“Okay, okay,” Anna says, accepting defeat. “But seriously, is he hot?” she says, leaning forward conspiratorially.

“So hot,” Castiel says laughing. Anna laughs along with him.

××××××××××××

“Olivia! Come on, Grandma said she almost had dinner ready!”

“Coming, Daddy!”

Olivia came bounding down the stairs, wearing her stripy rainbow socks, shorts and a slightly oversized AC/DC t-shirt. He chuckled at the sight. She begged for that t-shirt when she saw it in a thrift store they visited. Luckily it was an extra small, but it still doesn’t quite fit. He lets Olivia wear whatever the hell she wants; she’s old enough to make her own decisions, about her clothing choices anyway.

“Aren’t you missing something?” Dean says with a smile. Olivia scrunches up her face in thought, looking at her dad with confusion in her eyes, before realisation hits.

“Oh!” she exclaims, running off to the coat cupboard.

She opens the door, reaching in to get a little pair of boots, sitting on the floor with a thump and pulling them onto her feet. Her tongue sticks out in concentration as she ties the laces. It hits Dean with a pang how much she’s like her mother, but he’s quickly perked up when Olivia starts dragging him out of the door. 

“Come on, Dad!” she says, “I haven’t seen Grandma in _forever_ ,” she says dramatically. 

And it’s true; they haven’t seen Mary since it happened and Dean was in a totally different place back then, mentally that is. They haven’t seen Sam and Jess since then either. They've been living in California since Sam started at Stanford and are staying there for his law school years. They plan on moving back to Lawrence when Sam finishes law school. He’s aiming to get an internship at Stevens and Brand, which would be a big deal for him. Dean doesn’t really understand all the law stuff, but if Sam’s happy, he’s happy.

When they get outside, Castiel and Grace are packing up their car, which is, in Dean’s book, an ugly ass pimp-mobile. A 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V. Dean tries not to shudder visibly.

“Hey!” Dean shouts, causing Castiel to whack his head on the trunk door. Dean tries to stifle his laughter.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry,” Dean says, rushing over to Castiel to check if there’s any damage.

Castiel waves him off, chuckling a little, “I’m fine, I’m fine, just startled me is all,” he says with a smile. 

“You sure?” Dean asks, looking Castiel in the eye. Wow. He has really, really nice eyes.

“Yes, Dean, I’m sure,” Castiel says, returning his gaze. Dean stares a little longer. If anyone asks he just wanted to make sure Castiel wasn’t lying but in reality, he just wanted to look at his eyes a bit more.

“Okay,” Dean breathes after a few moments. He backs away from where he and Castiel stood, incredibly close by the way, and gestures to Castiel’s car.

“Off out somewhere?”

“Yes, to my brothers,” Castiel answers, not looking particularly happy about that fact.

“Family day, huh?” Dean comments.

Castiel just hums in reply.

“Well, have a good one Cas,” Dean says, backing away to get to his own car.

“Cas?” 

“Huh?”

“You called me Cas.”

“Did I? Sorry, it’s just a lot less of a mouthful than Castiel, is that okay?” Dean says, stumbling over his words a little.

“Yeah, yes, of course. It’s been a while since someone gave me a nickname,” Castiel says, looking a little sad. 

Dean just nods and jangles his keys, “I’ll see you later then Cas.”

“See you,” Cas answers with a soft smile. Dean backs up to his car, hitting the wing mirror. Olivia giggles as she jumps into the back seat. Dean coughs awkwardly, nodding to Cas as he gets into the driver’s seat. 

Olivia’s still giggling in the back seat and Dean rolls his eyes, “Yeah, yeah laugh it up missy.”

She’s still giggling as they pull out of the street.

××××××××××××

When they get to Mary’s, Olivia bolts into the house, leaving the door open in her wake. 

“Liv!” Dean shouts, but she’s already inside. He tuts and rolls his eyes but smiles fondly at his daughters actions. He finishes parking the car in the drive and shuts Olivia’s door. 

He gets inside and leans on the door frame as he watches the scene in front of him.

“Look how big you’ve gotten!” Mary cries, picking Olivia up by hugging her under her arms and lifting her off the ground. Mary spins in a circle and plants kisses all over her face. 

“Hey Grammy!” Liv says, hugging Mary tight. Mary places her on the floor as Sam and Jess enter the hall, obviously hearing the commotion. Olivia squeals loudly when she sees them, almost blowing out Dean’s ear drums. 

“Uncle Moose, Aunt Jess!” she shouts, Mary, Dean and Jess laughing at Sam’s nickname. He has a little bitch-face but it doesn’t last long, since he picks Olivia up and flips her upside down.

“Sam, be careful!” Mary shouts over the giggles and squeals coming from Liv. 

While that little exchange is going on, Mary opens her arms up for Dean. He gladly hugs her, smelling her sweet perfume. She smells like home. And pie.

“You’re making pie?” he says hopefully. Mary snorts.

“I told you I would,” she says, kissing his cheek. Dean smiles and pulls away from his mom, getting a manly hug from Sam. He just manages to kiss Jess’ cheek as she’s pulled away to play with Liv.

Dinner is delicious, as expected, and the pie is to die for. No-one makes it better than mom. 

Sam corners him when Dean goes into the kitchen for some popcorn before they watch Tangled (at Liv’s request). 

“Hey Dean,” Sam says, and immediately Dean knows where this is going.

“Hey,” Dean breathes quietly. 

“How’re you holding up?” Dean really does not want to get into this right now.

“I’m fine, Sam,” he says, trying to push past the Sasquatch to get into the den. 

“You’re not fine,” Sam counters, giving Dean the signature ‘talk to me’ puppy dog eyes that Dean had trouble avoiding when he was younger.

“Sam, I really don’t want to talk about it,” Dean says tiredly.

“Dean, if you don’t talk about it—“

“Yeah, yeah I know, it’ll just stew until I go crazy, yada, yada, yada, I had enough of that from the therapist at the hospital.”

“It’s true though Dean,” Sam says, imploring Dean to talk. Dean’s just not in the mood. 

“Sam I’ve already talked with mom about it,” he says, trying to stave Sam off.

“I just want to know if you’re okay.”

“I’m fine Sammy,” Dean says, finally pushing past Sam, not looking him in the eye.

To be honest, Dean’s not alright, but he can’t have Olivia thinking otherwise. She needs stability right now and Dean has to be that for her. He can’t have a damn breakdown.

After their little exchange, nothing else is said; they just spend the rest of the day chatting as they watch a few movies. Olivia conks out on the couch curled up between Dean and Sam at around 8 so Dean decides to call it a night. He carries her out to the car after everyone says goodbye with hugs and kisses. 

Olivia stays asleep for the entire drive home, only waking up a little as Dean carries her up the stairs. She snuggles into his neck a little before Dean tucks her into bed after changing her into her pyjamas, which was a trial and a half, since she was practically a rag doll in her half asleep state. 

Dean places a kiss atop her head and starts to pull away but Olivia grabs his hand, her eyes sad and a little watery, “I miss momma,” she whispers, her lip trembling a little. 

Dean pulls her into a hug as she cries softly into his chest. “Me too baby,” he says, trying to suppress his tears.

She falls asleep again after a while, her body going slack after the violent shakes of her cries. Dean lays her back down onto her bed, leaving the room and wiping a few stray, silent tears from his eyes. 

He enters his own bedroom, staring at the bed as if it deeply offended him. It’s too big for one person now. 

On autopilot, he lies down on his side of the bed, facing away from the other side. He falls into a fitful sleep after a few more stray tears fall from his eyes.

××××××××××××

At the end of the summer, Grace and Castiel go back to school. Castiel goes back to his position at the high school teaching English, and Grace starts 3rd grade. 

The first day back she comes home telling Castiel all about her teacher and her new friends, and apparently Olivia is in her class too so she’s very excited about that.

Grace and Olivia become really good friends, totally inseparable as the weeks go on. They have play dates at each other’s houses and even a few sleepovers, although they mostly take place over at Dean’s place because Olivia has trouble sleeping without her father near. 

Castiel doesn’t see Dean outside of dropping Grace off next door or Dean dropping her off home, so they haven’t had much time to get to know one another. Castiel knows it’s something he’d like to do though.

He builds up the courage to ask Dean to dinner one night in the week, maybe show him around the neighborhood a little since it doesn’t seem that Dean goes out except for taking Olivia to school and going to work, which Castiel guesses is at an auto shop of some kind, since he always comes home covered in grease. Not that Castiel watches him, which would be creepy. He merely glances. Okay, maybe prolonged glances. 

Dean’s on his way over to drop Olivia off for dinner over Castiel’s tonight so Castiel steels himself to ask him. Castiel would like for it to be a date, but he’s not sure how Dean would react, so he’ll just casually mention going out for dinner and Dean can take it however he wants to, Castiel doesn’t mind. He just wants to get to know Dean.

Castiel’s stomach jolts at the knock at their front door. Grace beats him to the punch as she opens the door first, pulling Olivia inside and running up the stairs. There’s a muffled ‘bye dad’ from Olivia and Dean chuckles, which makes Castiel’s stomach flutter further as he watches Dean’s eyes crease as he smiles. 

“Hello Dean,” Castiel greets, trying to stifle his nerves.

“Hey Cas,” Dean says, leaning against the door frame.

“Um, Dean, I was wondering,” Castiel starts, coughing awkwardly, “Would you maybe, want to go out for dinner sometime?” Castiel rushes to finish the question as his nerves get the better of him. 

“Oh,” Dean says, and Castiel deflates, “Not that I wouldn’t love to Cas, it’s just,” Dean sighs, “It’s just not the right time.”

“No that’s okay, no problem,” Castiel fumbles, “I’ll let you get back to... yeah.”

“See ya Cas,” Dean replies, giving Castiel a small apologetic upturn of the lips before Castiel closes the door behind him. Castiel closes his eyes and leans back against the door. 

He’s stupid. He knew Dean wouldn’t be interested. He shakes his head and looks up to the ceiling.

“Papa?” 

Castiel smiles softly, although a little sadly at his daughter.

“Are you okay?” she asks sweetly. 

“I’m fine, love,” he says, “Go back up and play with Olivia, dinner will be ready soon.”

“Okay,” Grace says, skeptical. Castiel wonders sometimes how Grace can seem so mature for her age, catching onto things that even Castiel doesn’t notice sometimes, it’s a little spooky. 

She pulls Castiel down, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before bouncing back up the stairs. Castiel smiles at her actions; she knows when Castiel needs a bit of comfort. 

××××××××××××

Upstairs, the girls jump under the blanket tent that’s set up in Grace’s room. They lie quietly on the pile of pillows and blankets, fiddling with the cut out stars that hang down from the middle of the tent before Olivia speaks.

“I think my dad likes your dad,” she says, matter-of-factly.

“Me too,” Grace says turning onto her side in interest.

“I mean, my dad always seems so sad. I know he misses mom. I do too. A lot. But I want him to be happy. And he’s always happy when he sees your dad,” Olivia says quietly, just loud enough for Grace to hear.

“I know, my dad smiles a lot when he sees your dad,” Grace replies, “I mean how cool would it be if we were sisters,” she says excitedly, smiling wide.

Olivia giggles, “So cool.”

They’re silent for a few minutes more. 

“I think we need some help from some grown-ups,” Grace says.

“Good idea,” Olivia replies, sitting up, “I can ask Grandma when I see her on Sunday.”

“Okay, and I’ll ask Uncle Gabe and Aunt Anna, when I see them on Sunday too,” Grace says.

“Cool,” Olivia says enthusiastically. 

A muffled shout sounds from downstairs, ‘Girls, dinner!’

“Come on!” Grace exclaims as she pulls Olivia out of her bedroom and down the stairs for dinner.

××××××××××××

After Olivia and Grace discuss what they talked about, about their dads, with Mary, Gabe and Anna, who thought it was adorable that the girls had noticed Dean and Castiel’s attraction for one another, they decided to devise a plan to get them together, with more help from the adults of course.

When their plan is set, it's just a case of putting it into action.

××××××××××××

On the Friday the week before Thanksgiving, Anna told Castiel that she would stay with the girls while Gabe took him out, telling him some bullshit about buying a new place somewhere in the area. Dean was still in work so it was the perfect time to set up their little date. Gabe is a chef at a local restaurant so he’s got a few things cooking for Dean and Castiel’s dinner.

It doesn’t take long for them to set it up, luckily Dean trusts Castiel enough to leave him with a spare key just in case Olivia needs anything while he’s out, so it helps them set up.

Dean finishes work at seven so Gabe has been instructed to bring Castiel back just as Dean arrives as well.

The timing is perfect, which is unusual for Gabriel, but none the less they both get out of their cars at the same time, they exchange a friendly smile and a wave, but each of their little glances as they walk towards their doors go unnoticed by each other. Gabe notices however, and chuckles softly at their cluelessness.

When they both reach their doors, they’re greeted by a small note reading, ‘Come straight out to the garden.’ signed by their daughters. Dean and Castiel smile at their notes and enter their houses. 

When they both reach their backyards, each of them shouting for their daughters, they stop short at the sight outside. 

On each side of the low fence is a small table, with a candle and cutlery atop each. Their daughters stand next to each table like waitresses with a towel covering their forearms.

“What’s going on?” They both say in unison, only just noticing the presence of the other. They look at each other in confusion, their confusion only furthering as they do so. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Anna says as she pops her head out of the window where Castiel’s kitchen is.

“It’s a date dummies!” Olivia shouts, scoffing as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. 

Dean and Castiel blush, smiling slightly as they both look away from each other. A date? Castiel and Dean are glad that someone finally knocked their heads together (figuratively of course) but it’s such a shock that they’re standing there like guppies with their mouths half open as they take in what’s happening. 

They’re both brought out of their shock by their daughters pulling them in the direction of their tables. Dean stops Olivia for a second, crouching down to her level.

“Are you sure about this Liv?” he asks, not knowing how much of this she understands.

“Yeah Dad. I know you loved mom, you still do. But you’re always sad, and you’re not sad when you’re around Cas, so…” she fades off cutely, with a sheepish smile. Dean smiles and kisses her on her cheek. She’s wise beyond her years and it makes Dean extremely proud.

Dean makes a whole show of greeting Cas, bowing low and holding his hand out for Castiel to take over the fence. “Castiel,” he says grandly, kissing his hand, making the girls giggle. Castiel’s blush deepens but he goes along with the act.

“Good sir,” he says sumptuously, nodding his head before gesturing for Dean to take a seat. They both snicker at each other, smiling wide. 

The girls ask what they want to drink, saying they have juice, water, soda and alcohol. They chuckle lightly at their girls and ask to see the alcohol. The girls both nod, Olivia going through the back gate to get into Castiel’s house. Dean looks at Castiel with a look that says ‘what can you do’, to which Castiel just smiles.

Anna comes out, with a selection of beer or wine. Dean goes for beer, Castiel for wine. 

They make a little small talk as they wait for their first course, discussing their jobs, interests, hobbies, making each other laugh, blush and smile. When the first course is brought out by their girls, they sit back and eat in silence for a while, just smiling at each other. They finish their course and the girls take their dishes back inside. 

“So Dean, I’ve always been curious as to why you moved here in the first place?” Castiel asks, a little tentatively.

Dean pauses before he answers, he doesn’t know how much he should tell Cas right now, “I just needed a fresh start. I lived here when I was a kid and my mom lives here, so it just seemed like a good place to get back to. And my dad’s shop is here too, so I took over when his partner retired.”

“Is that Winchester Auto?” Castiel asks, finally putting the two together.

“Yep,” Dean says.

“Do you mind me asking what your father’s doing now?” Castiel says.

“Yeah, uh, he passed away a few years ago, a stroke,” Dean says quietly, “Mom took it hard. She’d just stare at walls and would space out in the middle of a conversation. She’s okay, but I don’t think any of us will get over it. I mean, he wasn’t even that old, losing him so early really shook us up.” 

It’s weird but Dean feels like he can talk to Cas about anything. He doesn’t know what it is about him but he feels like he could tell him whatever it is that's on his mind and Cas would never judge him or put him down. This is the first real conversation they’ve ever had but it’s just so easy to talk with Cas. 

Their main course comes out and once again they eat in companionable silence, making a few comments on the food here and there. Once their plates are cleared away again, they continue their conversation.

“So Cas, tell me, how is it you haven’t already been snatched up by someone?” Dean asks cheekily, “I mean you’re a pretty handsome, charming guy, how come you haven’t found anyone before now?”

“Well with an eight year old daughter it’s pretty hard to get out on dates, plus with work and everything it’s hard to even find the time,” Cas says, Dean nodding his head in understanding. They both skirt around the obvious question of the girls’ mothers but it’s like some unwritten understanding between them not to discuss it.

Desert is just as delicious as the other courses. Although Dean’s a little disappointed it’s not pie, the brownie, cookie dough and marshmallow stack really does hit the spot. Especially listening to the downright pornographic noises Castiel is making.

Mary comes over to pick up the girls just as they finish their desert, giving the boys a wink as she leads them from the garden. Dean goes bright red and Castiel laughs loudly at Dean’s embarrassment.

Anna sets up Castiel’s living room so they can watch a movie together. Gabe wiggles his eyebrows at Castiel as he and Anna walk out of the front door, to which Castiel rolls his eyes. A few suggestive winks and witty comments later, Dean and Castiel are alone.

They settle on the couch, Avengers Assemble playing on the TV (romantic right?) making quiet conversation every now and then. Castiel gathers his courage and puts an arm behind Dean’s head. _Did he just do the move?_ Dean thinks, as he turns to glance at Castiel, who’s looking determinedly at the screen. 

He huffs a small laugh as his lip twitches in amusement. Alright then, Dean thinks, if you want to play it that way.

Dean shifts and settles against Castiel’s side, smiling triumphantly as he feels Castiel stiffen for a moment. Castiel is shocked when Dean moves into his side but he’s glad for the confirmation that this is okay. He moves his hand from the back of the couch and places it on Dean’s shoulder, holding him close.

Dean looks up to Castiel smiling softly. They hold each other’s gaze for a moment before Castiel leans down, Dean leaning up to capture each other’s lips. 

The kiss is soft, warm and they both melt into it. A wave of electricity shoots through Castiel as he feels Dean’s tongue pressing against his mouth, licking at his lips until Castiel opens his mouth, so Dean can explore. 

They continue like that for a few minutes, until the need to breathe is too much. They pull apart, breathing heavily, resting their foreheads together.

“Wow,” Dean breathes.

“Uh huh,” Castiel agrees, before diving back into a new kind of kiss. Heated and passionate.

Castiel swings his leg around Dean’s waist so he’s sitting in his lap, holding his face with both hands, his thumbs rubbing against Dean’s cheekbones.

Dean places his hands on his hips, rubbing circles into the flesh on his hipbones. He feels Castiel shiver under the touch, causing his hips to snap forward. Dean’s growing hard-on strains against his jeans, but as Castiel’s hips snap forward, there’s slight relief until it’s gone. Castiel feels it too, so he does it again.

They continue to rut against each other, growing more and more desperate for friction and release. Dean craves to feel more of Castiel’s body so he starts pulling at his shirt, 

“Off,” Dean growls, “Now.”

Castiel shivers once more at Dean’s tone, gladly helping Dean with his shirt buttons. When he’s divested of his shirt he starts pulling at Dean’s own, “It’s only fair,” Castiel says, voice low. 

Dean’s shirt is ripped off within seconds, and they both pull back for a moment, admiring the view before Dean is distracted by one of Castiel’s nipples. He latches on to the bud, licking and sucking and nibbling. Castiel throws his head back and moans loudly, making Dean’s head snap back up, eyes dark. 

With that one look, Dean and Castiel scramble from the couch, movie still running, and all but sprint to Castiel’s bedroom, their journey interrupted a few times due to one slamming the other up against any available surface, kissing them senseless, until one of them has enough sense to pull the other away to toward the bedroom once more.

When they finally reach the room, Castiel pushes Dean down on the bed, climbing on top to claim his mouth again. Hands roam, hips grind, and breathing becomes heavy. 

Castiel finds a sensitive spot just behind Dean’s ear that makes him moan just that little bit louder and it drives Castiel crazy just listening to it. Dean continues to rub at the skin of Castiel’s hips making him shiver.

Castiel’s hands travel down to the waistband of Dean’s jeans, slightly teasing the skin. Dean makes a frustrated noise as Castiel continues to tease, but he retaliates by rubbing the bulge in Castiel’s own jeans. "It's only fair," Dean states cockily, mocking Cas' earlier comment.

Spurred on by Dean’s actions, Castiel hurriedly unbuttons and unzips Dean’s pants. Castiel places a kiss at each new patch of skin that appears as he pulls Dean’s jeans down, dropping them to the floor with a flourish. 

Dean purrs as Castiel continues to kiss and mouth at different places on his body, but he begins to get desperate when Castiel refuses to touch the area where Dean needs it the most. 

“Castiel, I swear—“ Dean starts, but is completely cut off when a hand enters the confines of his boxers and lightly grips at his erection. His words brake off into an almost strangled moan as Castiel starts to move his hand. 

Castiel leans down to kiss Dean as he continues his ministrations and Dean starts pulling at the waistband of Castiel’s slacks. “Cas, get these off right the fuck now,” he implores, sounding a lot more needy than he hoped to sound. Castiel hops off the bed and yanks his slacks down hastily, before returning to his previous position.

Flipping their position, Dean grinds down on Castiel agonizingly slowly. “Aahhh, Dean,” Castiel moans, throwing his head back and baring his throat. Dean kisses at the taught skin, his teeth scratching against Castiel’s stubble. 

They finally divest each other of their boxers; the feel of skin on skin is such a relief. They move against each other, the friction just short of satisfying. The only thing that would make it better is—

That. Exactly what Dean starts to do. He takes the both of them in his hand and starts jerking them together, the pre-cum that has spread around their dicks helping them to slide and move together perfectly. 

It doesn’t take that long before Castiel starts babbling, “Dean, I’m not gonna, ahh, last, I’m gonna—“

“I know Cas, me too, just let go,” Dean whispers into his ear, ecstasy starting to corrupt his mind. 

They both fall into bliss, groaning and screaming in pleasure. After their outburst, the only sound in the room is their labored breathing, hot and heavy. 

Dean rolls off of Cas with a huff, completely sated. 

“That was…” Castiel starts. 

“Yeah,” Dean replies a content smile on his face. 

Castiel reluctantly pulls himself up from the bed to get a damp cloth. He wipes them both down before throwing it in the general direction of where their clothes went. Dean laughs slightly at Castiel’s half arsed effort, but pulls him down onto the bed to make out lazily. 

They pull away finally, just lying in each other’s presence. Neither of them fall asleep, they merely listen to each other’s breathing calm down to a normal rate and bask in the silence that they so rarely have nowadays.

After a while, Castiel finds the courage to speak, “Grace’s mother, her name was Meg,” he starts. Dean shifts to lie on his side, taking Castiel’s hand as he continues his story.

“We met in college and she was… She was a whirlwind, to put it lightly. Full of life, taking risks, wild. I fell under her spell. We dated for a while. I say dated, more like rearranged my dorm room,” Castiel says with a chuckle, before going silent again. 

“She got pregnant when were in our sophomore year, which she neglected to tell me until about 3 months before her due date.” Dean’s hand squeezes Castiel’s and he’s glad for the slight encouragement. 

“I did my best y’know, got a job, got an apartment, my savings account covered my tuition so I didn’t have to worry about that, it was just the living situation.

“When she finally gave birth, she didn’t wake me to let me help her to the hospital, even though we had a whole birthing plan worked out. She just told them some bullshit excuse and gave birth on her own. 

“The hospital called me a few hours later, since they had my number on file, telling me that Meg had given birth and she’d abandoned her own child at the hospital. I mean we were doing okay, sure we weren’t happy, but it was working. She just left with no trace of where she disappeared to or anything.” Dean plays with Castiel’s fingers as he talks, comforting Castiel and reminding him that he’s here.

“I got to the hospital and as soon as I saw Grace, I broke down. I was angry at first. I thought, how could someone leave such a small, precious thing to fend for itself? But the anger just melted from me as soon as she grabbed my little finger. I started my 3rd year of college as a single parent. I couldn’t cope on my own, so I asked my sister for help. She let me move in with her for a while, just so I could finish my bachelors and then she helped me with childcare and everything while I worked towards getting where I am now.”

Castiel wipes a tear from his cheek as he buries his head into Dean’s chest and Dean places a kiss on top of his head. Dean doesn’t say anything, to be honest Castiel’s glad for it. He’s always had some sort of apology or ‘oh my gosh that’s awful’ from the people he told and it means nothing to him, that’s why he’d been so reluctant to tell Dean in the first place. 

Silence drags on for a while and Castiel wonders if Dean has fallen asleep. He pulls back from the warmth of Dean’s chest and looks up at him. Dean is crying.

“Dean?” Castiel asks in concern, brows furrowed and head tilted. Dean swipes at his tears, sniffling as he does so. He squeezes his eyes shut, causing further tears to fall and gives Castiel a half arsed smile. More like a grimace really. 

“I uh,” he clears his mucus ridden throat, “My, my wife died a few months ago… Breast cancer,” he says, his voice breaking at those horrid words he wished he never heard since the first time it came out of the doctor’s mouth. 

Castiel wipes his tears and places a kiss on the top of his nose, “Take your time,” he whispers, knowing how hard it must be for Dean to talk about it. 

Dean breathes out a shaky breath before he continues, “When we found it, she was already in stage 4, pretty far along. There was nothing we could do for her, we just had to wait until she…” he breaks off and sobs loudly, covering his face with his hand.

He remembers watching Cassie as she started to fade. The cancer had spread to her bones and they tried all sorts of therapy, hormone, chemo, to prolong her life. In the end she grew tired of the constant doctors’ appointments and hospital visits. 

She sat Dean down one day and told him that she didn’t want to prolong her life. She wanted to go; she wanted to go naturally, without all the drugs and treatment. 

In the last few weeks, Cassie stayed at home in a hospital bed. Mary, Sam, Jess, Cassie’s mom, Olivia, had all surrounded her in her last days, talking with her cheerfully, reminiscing and making her comfortable and content. Olivia put on little shows to keep her mom smiling and gave her a lot of extra hugs and kisses to make her happy. Dean had stayed by her side throughout those weeks, sleeping with her lying on his chest. He hardly slept for fear of her slipping away in the night.

Her last day wasn’t any different; it was the same as it had been in the weeks previous, only Dean, exhausted after weeks of not sleeping, had fallen asleep with his arms wrapped around Cassie’s fragile body. 

He woke up the next morning, holding Cassie, lifeless, in his arms. “Cassie? Babe?” he had whispered brokenly, but she didn’t stir. He held her sobbing until Mary came in, saw the scene and ran to him, holding him close before calling for Sam to call an ambulance. 

“I moved here for a fresh start and to stop seeing Cassie wherever I went. Olivia has been great, I mean, she still can’t sleep very well. Sometimes I wake up in the morning to her sleeping next to me. But she’s been so understanding.” Dean looks down at where their hands are intertwined.

“I just feel like I let Cassie down, because I left our life behind, I left her behind,” Dean says brokenly, tears still tracking down his face. The redness around his eyes a stark contrast to the bright green of his irises.

Dean cries harder and Castiel brings his head down to the crook of his neck. “Shh, Dean it’s okay, it’s okay,” he whispers, “You didn’t let her down, Dean. She would’ve wanted you to move on, and if that meant you had to move away, she would’ve accepted it. I know she must’ve loved you Dean and you loved her too, you still love her. That’s never going to change. But even when someone passes on, there’s still life for the living.”

He feels Dean nod against his neck, before he pulls back and places a kiss on Castiel’s nose, “Thank you,” he says, looking Castiel in the eye, affection deep within them. He gives him a warm smile that makes Castiel’s insides go all gooey.

“Anytime Dean,” Castiel replies with a kiss on the lips and a soft smile, “Anytime.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this little fic! I saw an advert that inspired the little date that Grace and Liv set up and I thought it was adorable so here is the fic that I created!
> 
> A few little plot details that you may want to know:
> 
> Dean is 24, Castiel is 28
> 
> Cassie got pregnant with Olivia when she was 16. Dean quit school to start working for money for the baby. They got married when Olivia was 4. Cassie passed away just after the New Year.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time out to read this fic! Let me know what you think of it in the comments. Kudos are much appreciated also! 
> 
> (Hi, I'm Your New Roommate is still being written so please bear with me on that, I want to finish it before I post the last chapters!)


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